8 Oct
Bøgedal 146, originally uploaded by J T. Ramsay.
My friend Tommy told me that Bøgedal and Mikkeller were the two must-have Danish beers. I managed to tuck a bottle of the former into my luggage on the trip home and I can assure you that this dark Christmas beer didn’t disappoint.
I need to find a way to get more of this stuff!
5 Apr
The Phillies start their title defense as they play host tonight to the visiting Atlanta Braves in the season opener at Citizen’s Bank Park. Helen and I didn’t get tickets to tonight’s game, so we decided to catch the first of two On Deck preseason matchups against last year’s World Series runners-up, the Tampa Bay Rays.
It was an amazing, if blustery, night. We sat under the overhang in section 137 and watched Pat Burrell warm up on his old left field stomping grounds. It was an emotional moment for Helen and me. We both felt that we really got to “know” Pat in his last season as a Phillie, and supported him in our customary seats in section 143 with raucous cheers. We did the same for him last Friday, even though he now wears a Rays uniform.
The Phillies honored Pat’s career with a pre-game montage that started when he signed with the team in 1998 right up until he spoke at last fall’s World Series celebration. It was chock full of great memories, both good and bad. Pat walked out of the dugout and doffed his cap at the Phillies faithful. Pat may not have the greatest reputation, but on the field, he’s a true class act.
On a lighter note, I was able to enjoy one of three new additions to the Citizen’s Bank Park beer selection, pairing a Troegs Sunshine Pils with one of Hatfield’s finest processed meat products. Delicious! I figure if you’re either paying nearly double for Budweiser swill, or you can get one of Pennsylvania’s finest craft brews for $6.75. I figure it’s a great rationale for choosing the good stuff when you’re out at the ballpark!
30 Mar
Last Thursday was a banner night for this beer lover. I met my friend Adam and we strolled on over to Memphis Taproom to enjoy a great Dogfish Head stunt tapping for their 75 Minute IPA. We got there a little early thinking we might have to twiddle our thumbs for a minute before they tapped the cask, but no, we were just in time to knock down a few pints of this great IPA.The 75 Minute IPA blends their trademark 60 and 90 Minute IPAs, resulting in a remarkably smooth IPA that will still knock you flat if you’re not careful.
Adam and I ended up having a wonderful conversation with my friend Derrick, another Memphis Tap regular and amateur beer aficionado like myself. We discussed the merits of Dogfish Head’s approach to brewing and how great it is to be sandwiched between so many great breweries, all of which are doing different, distinctive things. Dogfish Head really does a great job of brewing signature IPAs, complemented nicely by great seasonals. I think their spring and summer beers, both of which feature great fruit flavors, are among the most refreshing I drink, without being sickeningly sweet.
As an aside, I wanted to take this opportunity to mention Jay Hinman’s great beer blog, Hedonist Beer Jive. Some of you may recognize Jay from his legendary music blog, Agony Shorthand. Now, instead of debating issues of race with Black to Comm, he’s telling you why he won’t pony up for expensive bombers of Russian River Consecration (and I don’t blame him!) Jay’s always been a great read, and his beer writing is just as fun and engaging as his music writing ever was.
10 Mar
I met Keith Fitzgerald at Memphis Taproom last night to talk about blogs, apps, and all the other fun geek stuff our wives tell us “sounds fun” as we walk out the door.
Our wonderful conversation was aided and abetted by some delicious beer as the No Repeat Beer Week rolls on! I started the night with a smoky Weyerbacher Fireside (pictured) before delving into a bunch of beefy IPAs. Here’s last night’s list:
I took it easy since it was a school night, but I can assure you I had no difficulty getting up this morning for a quick three-mile run.
Our conversation ended with an interesting discussion about how RSS is the blood coursing through the veins of the Internet, yet we still find ourselves joining every known social media platform that comes down the pike. Isn’t RSS supposed to make our lives really simple?
Speaking of which, we also chatted about Pitchfork’s headscratcher of a redesign. It reminded me of Paper Thin Walls after it was redesigned and made ready for a social network that never took off. Ouch. I told Keith that Pitchfork should’ve looked to ESPN.com’s redesign and focused on their video production. Why they’re still married to the concept of a music webzine escapes me.
Keith also shared his pet project with me: a running app for the 3G iPhone that should blow MapMyRun and its ilk out of the water. I’m considering buying a new iPhone just to beta test it against my Garmin watch. It sounds great for beginners and advanced runners alike. There’s a great opportunity for an iPhone app like this to meet the needs of Garmin customers who’re still waiting for Garmin to roll out their Mac features.
It was a great night for geeking out on beer and the Internet. I’m looking forward to working with Keith on tweaking and adding features to Kensington Blues over the next few weeks. To that end, can anyone recommend a clean, free, 2-column WordPress theme?
8 Mar
Helen and I stopped in at the Abbaye for brunch this morning and I stumbled upon yet another interesting brew from the good people at Elysian.
What made this IPA stand out is its subtle flavors. Elysian’s Avatar IPA doesn’t bowl you over with high alcohol content or overpowering hops. A hint of jasmine makes this an insanely refreshing IPA and at just 5.6%, it’s practically eligible for session beer status!
This could be a staple at my house this summer, if I can find it locally.
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